Devotionals

Regardless of whether we are Jews by birth, we can all recognize the truth of Paul’s words from our own experience. If we are honest, we see how often we judge others for the very same sins that we practice ...Read More

Sub-biblical views of sin do not confess our deadness in our transgression. If we consider today’s passage carefully, however, we see no better evidence of our deadness in sin than that we bless what the Lord condemns and condemn what ...Read More

Human beings continually think of themselves in a more favorable light than they should. Today’s passage, however, should disabuse us of that proclivity. Even the most “minor” sin is evidence that at a fundamental level, we do not want the ...Read More

John Calvin comments, “Religious honor cannot be given to a creature, without taking it away, in a disgraceful and sacrilegious manner, from God.” Rejecting God is so serious that if we will not have Him, He will not have us. ...Read More

Douglas J. Moo writes in his commentary on Romans, “At the very center of every person, where the knowledge of God, if it is to have any positive effects, must be embraced, there has settled a darkness—a darkness that only ...Read More

Scripture tells us that marrying someone who does not share the beliefs of the covenant community leads to trouble. For example, Solomon’s marriages to pagan women led him astray and gave paganism a foothold in Israel (1 Kings 11:1–8). If ...Read More

Ultimately, the impenitent are confirmed in sin forever—they continue to experience its degrading and destructive effects in hell and feel the fury of God’s wrath. We should not think that the sinners in hell want to be anywhere else. They ...Read More

Many people think that God’s answer to sin is to keep people from committing it. On the contrary, His answer is often to give people over to it. When Israel wanted to commit spiritual adultery with other gods, God gave ...Read More

God’s law covers every aspect of life, telling us that we sin both in breaking God’s commands willfully and in showing apathy when we see that there is something good and holy to be done. In ourselves, we cannot hope ...Read More